Pattern-generating mechanism.



J. v. ALLEN. PATTERN GENERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION ITLEI) O0T.11, 1909.

Patented June 10, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN V. ALLEN, OF WEYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITEIO SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW J ERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PATTERN-GENERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 10, 1913.

machinery, and more particularly to pat" tern generating mechanism, and is of especial utility when embodied in what I term abutment devices, to operate the follower or controlling lever orme-mber of pattern generating mechanism of the type illustrated in United States Letters Patent No. 1,027,562, granted May 28, 1912, on application of Frederick II. Perry, although I- use the term abutment merely as a eoncise, suggestive designation, not in any limited, technical sense, and I contemplate the use of my improvements in any field for which theyare adapted by their nature.

An important object of my invention is to provide an abutment having an edge corresponding in contour with the edge of the sole of a shoe, the abutment being so constructed and arranged that, when engaged with the controlling member of pattern gencrating mechanism of the type illustrated in the Perry patent to which reference has been made above, the operationfof the pattern generating mechanism will result in the formation of a pattern corresponding in peripheral contour with the edge of the sample shoe sole with whose shape the abutment edge has been constructeddo conform. Another important object of-my invention is to provide means to change the contour of the abutment edge so that it may be adjusted to cause the production of successively different patterns corresponding severally in contour with the various sole edges which the operat ormay from time to time desire to produce or reproduce, means being provided to maintain the abutment edge in adjusted contour, so that any desired number of patterns of the same contour may be produced. y Y

Among various other features of notable importance, I have provided means to cause positive engagement of a portion of the abutment device with a regularly moving portion of the mechanism of the pattern generating apparatus, thus to insure traversal of the abutment and controller, one .by the other, in regular progression, avoiding the formation of lumps on the pattern, and consequent deformities of the shoe, due to irregular traversal of the abutment edge amLcontroller, which sometimes occurs when an operator is carelessin feeding the edge of a sample shoe too slowly or too quickly past the follower of a pattern generating machine of the above type.

Accordingly, in carrying my invention into eilcct, I may use in place of the sole edge of a sample shoe, as illustrated in the aforesaid'lerry patent, an abutment device which in its preferred form comprises a stick, base or supporting-member provided with suitable means, such as a rack, to engage positivcly with a regularly moving portion of the mechanism of the pattern generating apparatus, as for example with the teeth of a pinion on the rotary abutment or guide against which moves the sole edge of the sample shoe ordinarily used in connection with the mechanism of the aforesaid Perry pattern generator; andupon this base or support I maymount a flexible edge such as a flat piece of steel or other suitable material secured to the support preferably by'a plurality of carrier-strips secured to the abutment strip in suitable fashion, as by brazing or welding the abutment strip extending upward from the support, and the carrier strip having slots receiving binding screws as one convenient form of fastening means to secure the carriers in adjusted position to maintain the flexible abutment edge in its predetermined con- ,tour. \Vhen so constructed, the contour of the flexible edge can be regulated quickly and accurately as desired by loosening the binding screws, changing the positions of the carriers so that their respective degrees of extension beyond the line of binding screws will present the flexible edge in the curvilinear form which ordinarily constitutes the required shape, and re-tightening the binding screws to secure the carriers in their new position and there maintain the flexible edge.

The abutment may have any suitable general contour, and one such suitable and convenient shape is formed by extending the support along a 3 generally straight longitu- 'dinal axis, in parallelism with which the binding'screws are arranged, serving as a base line from which to measurethe curvi-y linear departure of the flexible abutment edge'from-a straight line, to which curvilinear departure will correspond the variation in radius of the pattern disk generated, and the variations in-width of the projecting edge of the solo in the finished shoes, the latt'erbeing cut in machines controlled by the pattern disks, each change in width of the sole edge finding its'source in a corresponding change in the extent of departure of the flexible edge, the length of which is preferably equal to' the periphery of the operative portion of the pattern disk. As. a further aid-.to the rapid alinement of the abutment .strip in desired contour, I may, and preferably will, provide a series of threaded positioning bolts mounted in osts extending above the stick at intervals, behind the abutment strip, which maybe readily engaged with the free ends of these adjacent that region" will be tightened, to

bolts to.locate the strip quickly when the bolts-have been set-so that their ends lie in a line corresponding to the desired shape. The carrier strips will. have been loosened first, of course, to permit the abutment'stri p to be bent, and as the abutment strip is pressed into engagement with the alineme'nt bolt at any given region, the binding screw hold that portion. of the abutment-strip in adjusted position .and soon until the abutment-strip shall have been located and. fastened throughout its; operative length.

The various features of my inventionvwill be illustrated and described fully in the accompanying drawings and specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure lis a view in per- "spective of an abutment device'in the construction of which my invention has been embodied, the'same being shown in operative relation with a portion of a pattern generating mechanism of the. Perry type before mentioned, suflicient ofthe latter being shown topermit a clear idea of the mode of coiipera tion of. my abutment device with such apparatus; Fig. 2 is fragmentary plan view of the same abutment device shown separately; and Fig. 3 is a.'fragengaged, and coiiperate, with a follower,'

or analogous controlling lever or member,

such as that designated by the reference numeral 4-, to control the o eration of the pattern generating mechanlsm, the latter. comprising in the instance illustrated a 1'0- tary cutter 1 mounted near the end "of an arm of the lever 4 in position to cut or shape the periphery of a pattern disk such as'that shown at 16,- which, when completed, may be utilizedin, and to control, machines for-trimming the soles-of shoes, and in such other operations as may require the use of a Y pattern disk. Y

In Fig. 1 only so much of the patterngencrating mechanism is shown as is deemed useful to illustrate the .mode of operation of the abutment, and for a more extended description and illustration of the pattern generating mechanism, reference may be had to the Perry patent alread mentioned, it being a sufiicient further esigu'ation'of one of the important objects of my improved abutment device to mention that it takes the place of the model shoe ordinarily used in coiioperation with pattern generating mechanisms of the type illustrated in the said Perry patent. The abutment proper, a, preferably, consists of a flexible edge of suitable material, as for example a thin resilient strip of-stcel, shaped by bending, thus rendering ita universally adjustable subst-itutefor an infinite variety of model shoes, and permitting changes in v the shape of the sole edge pattern that ordinarily would require the expensive operation of making a new model shoe for each change. To permit this adjustment, and to provide means. to: maintain the abutment edge in its adjusted shape, I may adopt any suitable. construction, and as one convenient .form'of such construct on, I have shown a serie es' of carriers 7), supported onoa stick, I

base. or support (2, in a straight line in the instance chosen for illustration, along the longitudinal axis of the support, the latter being shown as a flat piece of wood. The

carriers 1; are secured, preferably permanently, as by welding ,or brazing, 'to the abutment str p along'its rear, and are held by binding screws f in adjusted position on" the stick, the binding screws passing through slots 9', and washers g and con- 'st1tut1ng one convenient form of fastening.

means to; this purpose, Auxiliary positioning screw members or bolts- 11 may be.

mounted in posts I) intervening between the carriers 6 justdescribed and these members may, and preferably will, be provided, to.

simply abut against the 'rearof the abut-v ment strip, as illustrated, engaging the same at regions intermediate the regions ofsupport by the carriers 7), and willhold the flexible edge up to its work. They may be utilized also 'to regulate the change in its' 130 form, by first setting their free ends at.

. enin the bindin screws f, the d'evic'eois apto the mec ianism to be controlled, as for example to a machine containing pattern generating mechanism of the Perry t pe already mentioned, and preferably the orward edge e of the support will be engaged with some regularly moving portion of the pattern generating mechanism, as for exalong at the peri heral speed of the gage,.

ample the rotary gage or member 26 which is usually caused to turn at a-predetermined ratio of speed-relatively to the speed of the pattern blank disk 16, carrying the stick d and with it the a utment proper a, agalnst which the swiveling follower 17 is heldin yielding engagement by suitable means, as

the spring plunger 21 (see'Fig. 1) In adopted for that purpose.

some instances it ,may be desirable to insure positively co-equal traverse of the gage and edge, and any suitable construction may be I prefer to .provide the edge with some form of gearing, as the rack c illustrated in the modification shown in Fig. 4, in which event'it will be found. convenient to provide a cooperating gear deviceon the gage 260, as for example the pinion illustrated, the teeth of which intermesh with those of the rack e. In this modification the reference character a designatesthe flexible abutment strip. \Vhen the follower 17 runs past a swell, as that marked a on the flexible edge a, the lever is swung on its pivot 5 (seeFig. 1), and the cutter 1 is, carried in against the pattern blank disk 16, cutting more deeply into the periphery thereof, and each variation of contour in the flexible edge a is similarly reproduced upon the periphery of the disk 16. If it be desired that the abutment shall be held in position without requiring constant attention by the operator, suitable holding means may be provided, and as one convenient form of such holding means I have shown at u an upright having a. ledge u provided with antifriction guide rollers 21? with which the rear edge e of the abutment stickniay be engaged, an overhanging cappiece a being shown also to retain the abutment stick upon the ledge, to which latter suitable fastening means such as thescrews a may attach the cap-piece. I prefer to provide for swinging the holder upright u away from the rotary member 26 at times, for the sake of convenience in withdrawing and replacing the abutment, and as one convenientform of connectionto permit such withdrawal I have shown the upright u as hinged at n to a stand a secured at a to the table a" which carries the pattern generating machine, and by means of a threaded belt a fast in the stand -wand passing through the upright 11, and a spring u confined between the upright and an adjust able nut 14 on the bolt, the holder and abutment .may be held yieldingly but with a steady pressure in its operative relationwith the pattern generating apparatus.

' Having described my invention thus fully, and illustrated suitable means for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific construction or materials herein shown and described, nor in general otherwise than as set forth in the claims read in connection with this specification.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a pattern generating machine having a rotatable support for'patternblanks, a model follower,-and

patterngenerating mechanism constructed and arranged to generate radially irregular pattern disks; of an abutment device comprising a plurality of partsindependently adjustable to form a pattern edge; and

means to support saidabutment devicemovably in position to traverse said model follower operatively.

2'. A holder for abutment'devices of the class described; said holder comprising a swinging upright having a ledge provided with antifriction means to be engaged with said abutment device and A permit free traverse of the sa'me while held; and means to maintain said swinging 'upright yieldingly toward the mechanism to be traversed opcrativcly by said abutment device.

3. The combination with a pattern gen erating machine having mechanism 'constructed and arranged to generate radially irregular pattern disks and a ,model follower, of an abutment device comprising a plurality of parts independently adjustable to form a pattern edge 'or movable engagement with said follower; a holder upon which said abutment device is supported movably to traverse said follower operatively; and means to permit said abutment device to traverse said follower inoperatively. i

4. The combination with a pattern generating machine having pattern-generating mechanism, a rotatable support for disk-pattern-blanks, and a model follower; of an abutment device comprising a base, a plurality of independently adjustable supporting members mounted on said base, and aflexible abutment strip carried by, and con-- forma'b'le with, said members; and means to support said abutment device movably in position totraverse said model follower operatively, said abutment device being removable with its base, supporting members and flexible strip, as a unitary structure,

from said-nmchine.

An abutment device for pattern-gemerating machines; said device comprising a base, a plurallty of mdependently adJu'stable supportingmembers mountedon said base,

and a flexible abutment strip carried by, and

conformable with, said members, said base,-

' any supporting members and strip constituting a unitary structure l'mplucab e as such 1n ma chines.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name tOtlllS specification in the presence of 1 two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN v. ALLEN. I

Witnesses:

ELIZABETH C. COUPE, ARTHUR L. RUSSELL.

of a series of said pattern-generating 1 5 

